Holidays
Steven Raichlen’s New TV Show Project Fire + a Memorial Day Menu From The Show!
After what seemed like an interminable winter, the long-awaited Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us. This beloved federal holiday, conceived in the 1860s to honor the men and women who gave their lives in the service of our country, is a celebration of family and friends, flags and flowers, food and fun.
Of course, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer and prime grilling season, the perfect time to launch Steven’s latest show, Project Fire. Maryland Public Television, the producer of Project Fire, released this statement:
Building on his success with several popular television series, host and bestselling author Steven Raichlen launches his newest show to public TV stations on Friday, May 25, just in time for this summer’s barbecuing season. Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire offers viewers a new and insightful exploration of how Americans grill today and how people will grill and smoke tomorrow.
Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire, filmed on location at the 10,000-acre Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in California’s scenic Santa Ynez Valley, explores the latest trends and techniques in contemporary grilling, using a dynamic format that includes on-set guests, off-road field trips and a surprising collection of new tools, fuels, grills, and smokers. The series’ field segments feature some of the most talked about live-fire restaurants in Southern California, from Industrial Eats and The Bear and Star in the Santa Ynez Valley to Gwen, Charcoal Venice, Chi Spacca, Parks Barbeque, and Odys + Penelope in Los Angeles.
The series’ 30-minute episodes reveal an inspiring range of techniques to elevate the backyard grilling experience, from ember-roasting to high-tech spit-roasting. Raichlen also introduces new foods, from unfamiliar steak cuts to eco-friendly seafood, and new twists on popular classics, from pastrami beef ribs to wood-fired paella.
Check your local listings for times.
As a prelude to Project Fire, subscribers to Create TV can tune in beginning Saturday, Mary 27, to Red, White, and BBQ, an inspiring, mouth-watering marathon of three seasons of Steven’s companion show, Project Smoke. Click here for details.
Finally, we’ve put together an outstanding menu for your holiday weekend with recipes gleaned from Steven’s newly-released book, Project Fire (Workman, 2018) and his TV show of the same name.
Kicking things off is festive Grilled Sangria—an array of mixed grilled citrus fruits, crusted with sugar, caramelized over a hot fire, then muddled with rum and red or white sparkling wine. (It’s always a hit at BBQ University.) Serve it with one of our favorite appetizers, like Catalan Grilled Tomato Bread—a grilled bread rubbed with garlic and fresh tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, and finished with sea salt.
For a main course, you can’t go wrong with indulgent Dry-Brined Peppered Filets Mignons with umami-rich Anchovy Cream. Flaunt your skills with side dishes like Hasselback Potatoes with Parmigiano-Reggiano (one of the most popular recipes on our website) and Sugar Snap Peas with Fresh Mint grilled directly in the embers.
Dessert is show-stopping, jaw-dropping Salt Slab Brownie S’mores.
From all of us, have a happy, safe, and supremely satisfying holiday.
Have the perfect Memorial Day with this Project Fire menu:
Grilled Sangria
Catalan Grilled Tomato Bread
Ember-Grilled Sugar Snap Peas with Fresh Mint
Hasselback Potatoes with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Dry-Brined Ribeyes with Anchovy Cream
Salt Slab Brownie S’mores